Footfall was up for the first time in years as shoppers closed their laptops
and headed to high streets in search of bargains

Shoppers took to Britain’s high streets in record numbers on Boxing Day, choosing bricks-and-mortar stores over online retailers for the first time this festive season.

There was an 11.7pc increase in footfall on Saturday, according to the analysis by retail specialist Springboard, with most bargain-hunters choosing to hit the sales in the afternoon, instead of queuing outside stores in the early morning, as in previous years.

“An interesting pattern emerged over Boxing Day across the UK,” said Diane Wehrle, Springboard’s marketing and insights director. “Traditionally it is the first few hours of the day which are the busiest.

“This year, the high volumes of footfall shifted to later on in the day, from +0.8pc in the hours leading to 12pm, to a dramatic increase of +6.3pc in the hours leading to 5pm, as shoppers apparently were using their first few hours of the day to search for the best bargains online and then venture into the stores to purchase.”

A separate report by PCA Predict found that Boxing Day takings by online retailers were down by 3pc for the first time in years.

“As retailers started their sales early this year, we did not see the usual surge in online shopping on Boxing Day,” said PCA Predict co-founder Jamie Turner. “Instead, consumers had the convenience of being able to browse online throughout the entire Christmas period to find deals and discounts.”

Christmas Day has emerged as one of the most popular days for online shopping, with consumers buying products in the afternoon - often after not receiving their desired gifts.

According to digital analytics firm SimilarWeb, the biggest winner this year was Game, the videogames retailer hit by a profit warning just last week, which registered a 140pc increase in desktop traffic on Christmas Day. Fashion chains H&M, Asos and Sports Direct also all doubled traffic year-on year, while PCWorld reported an 85pc surge in visitors. The discount retailer Lidl also reported a three-fold increase in users on its app.

While the high street experienced a bumper Boxing Day, shopping was more muted today due to later opening hours. Footfall slumped by 40pc across the UK, with shopping centres the worst hit. However, when compared to the Sunday following Christmas last year, the analysis showed an 8.9pc rise in footfall, prompting Springboard to forecast a record shopping day tomorrow.